1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to a half-fitting prevention connector for connecting automotive wire harnesses together, and more particularly to a half-fitting prevention connector in which a mutually-fitted condition of a pair of connector housings, which are to be fitted together in a male-female manner, can be confirmed by the look of a fitting detection member provided at one of the connector housings.
The present application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-123107, which is incorporated herein by reference.
2. Related Art
FIGS. 10 to 12 show a conventional half-fitting prevention connector used for connecting automotive wire harnesses together.
This half-fitting prevention connector 1 is disclosed in JP-A-5-234637, and comprises a male connector housing 5, having a lock arm 3, a female connector housing 9, which has an engagement portion 7 for engagement with a lock portion 3a of the lock arm 3, and can be connected to the male connector housing 5 in a locked condition when it is fitted on the male connector housing 5 in a male-female manner, a fitting detection member 11 pivotally mounted on the female connector housing 9, and detection member-limiting portions 13 and 14 for pivotally displacing the fitting detection member 11 outwardly from the female connector housing 9 when the mutually-fitted condition of the pair of connector housings 5 and 9 is incomplete, that is, a half-fitted condition.
As shown in FIGS. 11 and 12, the fitting detection member 11 comprises a support shaft 11a, mounted on a rear portion of a housing body 9a of the female connector housing 9, a pivotal arm 11b, pivotally supported on this support shaft 11a, elastic retaining piece portions 11c, which are formed on and project from a distal end of the pivotal arm 11b, and are engageable with an arm retaining portion 9b of the housing body 9a to hold the pivotal arm 11b in contiguous relation to the surface of the housing body 9a (as shown in FIG. 11), and a fitting confirmation projection 11d. 
When the elastic retaining piece portions 11c are disposed out of engagement with the arm retaining portion 9b, this fitting detection member 11 can be pivotally moved outwardly from the housing about the support shaft 11a as indicated by arrow A in FIG. 12.
At an initial stage of the fitting of the connector housings 5 and 9, a tapering portion 14a, formed at a front end of one detection member-limiting portion 14, pushes a distal end of the elastic retaining piece portion 11c, retained by the arm retaining portion 9b, thereby canceling the engagement between the arm retaining portion 9b and the elastic retaining piece portion 11c, so that the fitting detection member 11 can be pivotally moved outwardly form the housing.
Before the connector housings 5 and 9 are completely fitted together, the detection member-limiting portions 13 and 14 are held against a lower end of the fitting confirmation projection lid to limit the pivotal movement of the fitting detection member 11 toward the housing, and therefore the fitting detection member 11 is kept displaced outwardly from the housing, so that the fitting confirmation projection lid is exposed to the exterior of the housing body 9a, as shown in FIG. 12.
When the connector housings 5 and 9 are completely fitted together as shown in FIG. 11, with the lock portion 3a engaged with the engagement portion 7, the detection member-limiting portions 13 and 14 are disposed at their respective positions where they will not interfere with the elastic retaining piece portions 11c and the fitting confirmation projection lid, so that the fitting detection member 11 can be returned into its initial position where the elastic retaining piece portions 11c are retained by the arm retaining portion 9b. As a result, the completely-fitted condition of the two connector housings can be confirmed.
Namely, in the half-fitting prevention connector 1, the fitting confirmation projection 11d of the fitting detection member 11 projects outwardly from the housing, and the elastic retaining piece portions 11c can not engage the arm retaining portion 9b, and by doing so, the half-fitted condition of the two connector housings can be detected.
However, the length L of outward projection of the fitting detection member 11 from the housing in the half-fitted condition is determined by the height of the detection member-limiting portion 13 (on which the fitting confirmation projection 11d can slide) and the height of the fitting confirmation projection 11d. When the dimensions of these portions are reduced as a result of a compact design of the connector, the projecting length L in the half-fitted condition is also reduced, and therefore it is difficult to confirm with the eyes whether or not this projecting has occurred, and this has invited a problem that the half-fitted condition has been overlooked.
This invention has been made under the above circumstances, and an object of the invention is to provide a half-fitting prevention connector in which the overlooking of a half-fitted condition of two connector housings can be positively prevented even in the case where the dimension of a detection member-limiting portion for displacing a fitting detection member outwardly from the housing is reduced as a result of a compact design of the connector.
The above object has been achieved by a half-fitting prevention connector comprising: a first connector housing having a lock arm including a leg portion provided at an intermediate portion of the lock arm between a front end portion and a rear end thereof and extending to a housing body of the first connector, the lock arm pivotally movable on the leg portion serving as a fulcrum; a second connector housing having an engagement portion engagable with a lock portion of the lock arm, and fitted relative to the first connector housing; a fitting detection member pivotally mounted on the first connector housing in a lever-like manner; and a detection member-limiting portion provided at the rear end of the lock arm; wherein the detection member-limiting portion prevents a pivotal movement of the fitting detection member when the lock portion and the engagement portion are not in an engaged condition, and the fitting detection member is inclined when the fitting detection member is pressed down by the detection member-limiting portion before an engagement of the lock portion with the engagement portion is completed, so that a front end portion of the fitting detection member is pivotally displaced outwardly from the housing body of the first connector housing.
In the above construction, even in the case where the dimensions of the detection member-limiting portion, which can displace the fitting detection member outwardly from the housing, are reduced, the length of outward projection of the fitting detection member from the housing in the half-fitted condition is amplified to a value, larger than the displacement amount actually transmitted by the detection member-limiting portion, by the leverage of the lock arm and fitting detection member, and therefore this projection length can be increased to a value large enough to enable an easy conformation of whether or not this projecting has occurred.
In the above half-fitting prevention connector, preferably, an elastically-deformable rib is provided at a rear end of the fitting detection member, and the elastically-deformable rib is pressed down by the detection member-limiting portion of the lock arm upon inclination of the lock arm, so as to produce a bending moment to increase a displacement of the front end portion of said fitting detection member.
In this construction, the amount of outward pivotal displacement of the front end portion of the fitting detection member from the housing is the sum of the amplified displacement amount, obtained by the leverage of the lock arm and fitting detection member, and the pivotal displacement amount obtained by the bending moment produced by the elastically-deformable rib. Thus, the amount of displacement of the fitting detection member in the half-fitted condition is further increased.